Richmond, Va.
Two weeks after a gunman with a history of mental illness killed 32 people and himself on the campus of Virginia Tech University, Virginia Gov. Timothy Kaine this week signed an executive order barring gun sales to people who have been ordered to seek mental health treatment. A state judge had ordered Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho to seek outpatient treatment in 2005, after he made suicide threats. But Cho was able to purchase the two pistols he used in the mass killings because under Virginia law at the time, only people who had been ordered into inpatient treatment were barred from gun purchases. Kaine’s order erases the inpatient/outpatient distinction.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Mickey 17: 'charming space oddity' that's a 'sparky one-off'The Week Recommends 'Remarkable' Robert Pattinson stars in Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi comedy
-
EastEnders at 40: are soaps still relevant?Talking Point Albert Square's residents are celebrating, but falling viewer figures have fans worried the soap bubble has burst
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
